Wireform clip for use with supply valves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10975983-B2
Application number	US-201815933946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A system of supply valves according to the present invention may include a first and second supply valve, each of which is connectable to a terminal end of a water supply line so as to provide direct access to the water supply. The system may be disposed within a modular plumbing supply box, and the valves may be spaced from one another by a reduced separation, X1. Each supply valve of the system may further include a top portion and bottom portion that are interconnectable and which form a water-proof seal therebetween. The top portion may comprise ridges that cooperate with channels of the bottom portion when the two portions are interconnected to form passageways. The top and bottom portions may be positionally and rotationally locked to one another, for example, using a wireform clip and inserting legs of the wireform clip through the passageways.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A supply valve for use with water supply lines, the supply valve comprising:
a top portion having at least two ports, a central valve area, and a ridged lower area that extends around a first one of the at least two ports, the first one of the at least two ports extends along a first axis into the central valve area, the central valve area is configured to receive a valve therein, and the ridged lower area includes a plurality of ridges that each define a reduced diameter with respect to an unreduced diameter of a remaining portion of the ridged lower area, wherein the reduced and unreduced diameters are measured with respect to the first axis;
a bottom portion separately formed from the top portion, the bottom portion extending along a central axis and having an upper mating area, a lower connection area, and a hollow chamber extending through the bottom portion from the upper mating area to the lower connection area, the upper mating area includes two channels on opposing sides of the central axis, each channel extending through the upper mating area and into the hollow chamber, the channels each defining a respective length as measured along a direction perpendicular to the central axis;
a wireform clip selectively interconnectable to the top and bottom portions to detachably couple the top and bottom portions to one another, the clip having two opposed legs that are joined together at a gripping area, the two opposed legs extend outwardly from the gripping area to respective end portions, and the two opposed legs angularly converge with respect to one another, such that a distance between the respective end portions of each one of the two legs is less than the reduced diameter of each of the plurality of ridges,
wherein the ridged lower area of the top portion is sized and configured to be inserted into the hollow chamber of the bottom portion such that, in an assembled configuration, 1) the central axis is aligned with the first axis, and 2) at least one of the plurality of ridges of the top portion is aligned with the two channels of the bottom portion, such that the at least one of the plurality of ridges and the two channels cooperate to form two passageways, and

wherein each leg of the clip is configured to be inserted into a respective one of the two passageways so as to define a locked configuration, wherein in the locked configuration, each leg of the clip extends through at least a majority of the respective passageway, and the top portion and bottom portion are prevented from translating relative to one another along the central axis and are prevented from rotating relative to one another about the central axis,
wherein the end portions of the legs are chamfered at an inner portion thereof.

2. A supply valve for use with water supply lines, the supply valve comprising:
a top portion having at least two ports, a central valve area, and a ridged lower area that extends around a first one of the at least two ports, the first one of the at least two ports extends along a first axis into the central valve area, the central valve area is configured to receive a valve therein, and the ridged lower area includes a plurality of ridges that each define a reduced diameter with respect to an unreduced diameter of a remaining portion of the ridged lower area, wherein the reduced and unreduced diameters are measured with respect to the first axis;
a bottom portion separately formed from the top portion, the bottom portion extending along a central axis and having an upper mating area, a lower connection area, and a hollow chamber extending through the bottom portion from the upper mating area to the lower connection area, the upper mating area includes two channels on opposing sides of the central axis, each channel extending through the upper mating area and into the hollow chamber, the channels each defining a respective length as measured along a direction perpendicular to the central axis;
a wireform clip selectively interconnectable to the top and bottom portions to detachably couple the top and bottom portions to one another, the clip having two opposed legs that are joined together at a gripping area, the two opposed legs extend outwardly from the gripping area to respective end portions, and the two opposed legs angularly converge with respect to one another, such that a distance between the respective end portions of each one of the two legs is less than the reduced diameter of each of the plurality of ridges,
wherein the ridged lower area of the top portion is sized and configured to be inserted into the hollow chamber of the bottom portion such that, in an assembled configuration, 1) the central axis is aligned with the first axis, and 2) at least one of the plurality of ridges of the top portion is aligned with the two channels of the bottom portion, such that the at least one of the plurality of ridges and the two channels cooperate to form two passageways, and
wherein each leg of the clip is configured to be inserted into a respective one of the two passageways so as to define a locked configuration, wherein in the locked configuration, each leg of the clip extends through at least a majority of the respective passageway and the distance between the respective end portions of each one of the two legs is less than the reduced diameter of the at least one of the plurality of ridges, and the top portion and bottom portion are prevented from translating relative to one another along the central axis and are prevented from rotating relative to one another about the central axis.

3. The supply valve of claim 2 , wherein the lower connection area of the bottom portion is adapted to sealingly secure to a first water supply line.

4. The supply valve of claim 2 , wherein the wireform clip comprises a continuous, flexible material, and wherein the wireform clip has a uniform thickness.

5. The supply valve of claim 2 , wherein the two legs of the wireform clip are flexible and may be temporarily biased toward one another to facilitate insertion or removal of the two legs from the two passageways.

6. A system including two of the supply valves recited in claim 1 , such that each one of the two supply valves is configured to interconnect to a respective one of two adjacent water supply lines and be disposed within a single plumbing supply box.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the two supply valves are configured to be separated from one another by a distance X 1 measured from respective central axes of a first and a second one of the two supply valves, wherein X 1 falls within the range of 1.75-2.00 inches.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the wireform clip of either one of the supply valves may be configured to be disposed in either one of the two supply valves in the locked configuration.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein a first bottom portion of a first one of the two supply valves is operable with a second top portion of a second one of the two supply valves, such that a first wireform clip of the first supply valve may be configured to be disposed in the first bottom portion and second top portion in the locked configuration.

10. A supply valve system comprising:
a supply valve including:
a first bottom portion extending along a first central axis and having first and second channels extending through a first upper part of the first bottom portion on opposing sides of the first central axis, the first bottom portion further having a first lower part configured to interconnect to a first water supply line;
a first top portion having a first ridged bottom area that includes a plurality of ridges that each define a reduced diameter with respect to an unreduced diameter of a remaining

Assignees

• Oatey Co

Inventors

• Zhang Kai
• Lorkowski Aaron
• Brown Kenneth

Classifications

• F16K27/00 Primary

  Construction of housing (methods for welding housings B23K); Use of materials therefor · CPC title

• F16L37/144

  the securing element being U-shaped · CPC title

• F16K27/003

  Housing formed from a plurality of the same valve elements · CPC title

• Y10T137/698

  Wall · CPC title

• E03C1/021

  Devices for positioning or connecting of water supply lines (connection to the tap body E03C1/0403) · CPC title